Kevin Durant's Strategy of Limiting Victor Wembanyama is Proving True

San Antonio Spurs superstar big man Victor Wembanyama hasn't quite been playing up to expectations during the 2026 NBA Finals. Throughout the season and the years leading up to the 2025-26 season, we've heard many dub Wembanyama as the best player in the world.

Which is... preemptive.

And far too early to say. Even if the masses don't want to hear it.

He hasn't looked like the best player in the world during the series, nor has he looked like the potential greatest player in league history.

Which seems a bit preposterous to say, based on the counting stats. He's averaging 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, two assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals through the first two games of the NBA Finals.

However, his scoring efficiency has been dismal. That sounds harsh. Let's say it's been below league average. Wembanyama has averaged 40.5% from the field, 26.7% from deep, 53.7% true shooting and 45.2 percent effective shooting.

Exactly how have the New York Knicks been limiting Wembanyama's effectiveness? By largely turning him into a jump shooter, which is a formula that Houston Rockets superstar forward Kevin Durant laid out following the Rockets' 111-106 victory over the Spurs in January.

In that game, Wembanyama had just 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting. Durant explained the strategy.

"He's still working on his jumpshot," Durant said. "You can tell he's trying to figure his jumpshot out. We made him shoot tough fadeaways. We made him shoot over us. He's more dangerous when he gets layups and dunks and plays around the rim. That's more of his game, I think, than floating around the perimeter and shooting threes and jumpshots.

"When they go in, it looks amazing. But when you get a hand up on him, it's some bad misses and you're able to get out and run. His length in the paint is a problem. When he gets hot, it's tough to stop him."

Wembanyama has taken a total of 20 shots in the paint, and 22 jumpshots. He's taken seven shots at the top of the key and made just two of them. He has also taken three corner threes and hasn't hit any of them.

He's taken 12 above the break threes, which is nearly just as many as his 16 shots near the rim. However, he's shooting 33 percent on the above the break triples, compared to 62.5 percent under the goal.

Knicks big men Karl Anthony-Towns and Mitchell Robinson have the size and mobility to give Wembanyama just enough trouble near the goal. And the Knicks have good wing defenders in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart that are able to give Wembanyama trouble as a jumpshooter on the perimeter.

In other words, the Knicks are the perfect team to play to Durant's strategy and it's shown, as they hold a 2-0 series lead, heading back home to Madison Square Garden for the next three games.

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